Lionel Messi has done it again. At 38, with a hat-trick against Algeria in the 2026 World Cup group stage, he tied Miroslav Klose’s all-time tournament scoring record of 16 goals. For context: Klose needed four World Cups to get there. Messi just matched that number in his fifth appearance — while also already owning the title of Argentina’s all-time leading scorer.
But not all 16 goals are created equal. Some were penalties under suffocating pressure. Others were pure artistry. A few were tap-ins. One, frankly, was a free kick so good that the opposing goalkeeper joked about quitting on the spot.
The penalties — all four of them
Messi scored four spot-kicks at the 2022 World Cup alone, starting with that unnervingly casual finish against Saudi Arabia in the opener. He gave the keeper a long stare, waited a beat, then rolled it home. Nine minutes in, and it already felt like a statement: the pressure wasn’t going to get to him.
Against Poland he missed one. Then against the Netherlands in the quarterfinal, he stepped up and buried it like the miss had never happened. The semifinal against Croatia? A top-corner rocket past Dominik Livakovic, who had been one of the tournament’s best keepers. “Officially unstoppable,” Ally McCoist said on commentary. He was right.
The fourth penalty — in the final against France — was never in doubt. Neither was his extra-time goal, a scrappy but vital tap-in that nearly won Argentina the trophy in regular time.
The ones that looked easy but weren’t
Australia defended heroically in the Round of 16 in 2022. But Messi drifted into the box, read Nicolas Otamendi’s heavy touch, and slid a perfect first-time finish into the corner. It looked simple. It wasn’t.
Against Mexico in that same tournament, Argentina needed a moment of magic. They were staring at a group-stage exit after losing to Saudi Arabia. Messi picked up the ball from outside the box and let fly. The ball curled into the far corner. Pablo Aimar, on the bench, broke down in tears. That goal saved Argentina’s tournament.
The free kick that broke a goalkeeper
Nigeria’s Vincent Enyeama actually laughed in 2014. After Messi bent a free kick over the wall and inside the post, Enyeama walked over to the referee and said, “The guy is so good… and I’m sh*t.” He was joking. Mostly.
That remains Messi’s only World Cup free kick goal. It’s a shame — because it’s one of the best we’ve seen.
The first one
Back in 2006, an 18-year-old Messi came off the bench against Serbia and Montenegro. Diego Maradona cheered from the stands. Messi scored, set up another, and became the youngest Argentine to find the net at a World Cup. The start of something no one could have fully predicted.
The ones that make you stop
His 2026 opener — a thunderous strike against Algeria after one had already been ruled out — showed he hasn’t lost a step. The finish to complete that hat-trick was classic Messi: a sweeping left-footed strike that curled away from the keeper. “Rolling back the years” doesn’t quite do it justice.
And then there’s the goal against Iran in 2014. Last minute of regulation time. Iran had defended with ten men behind the ball for 89 minutes. Messi picked it up, shuffled left, and rifled it into the far corner. Jonathan Pearce’s call said it all: “Give it to him and pray.”
Messi now shares the World Cup scoring record. But the way he got there — with penalties, free kicks, tap-ins, screamers, and everything in between — is what makes the list unforgettable.
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